Francis Langley, a petty court official, purchased the manor of Paris Garden in 1589. The first mention of the Swan is in 1594, when the Lord Mayor protested against plans to build a playhouse on the property. An exact date of construction is not known (1595-96?), the first certain record being from February 1597, when Pembroke's Men contracted to play there. Theatrically, the history of the Swan theatre is unimpressive. The Swan's contemporary claim to fame or, in this case, infamy, was the outrage that erupted over the performance of The Isle of Dogs in 1597. The play was deemed so seditious by the authorities that the play was banned, arrest warrants were drawn up for everyone involved, and all London theatres were closed down for months. It seems the Swan never quite recovered from the scandal. The Swan was used for plays until 1620, was still standing in 1632, and may have survived until c.1637.

The real importance of the Swan in the history of English Renaissance theatre is due to a drawing made by a visiting Dutchman, Johannes (John) de Witt, c.1596. The sketch, surviving only in an early copy by de Witt's friend, Arend van Buchell, is of the interior of the Swan Theatre. It is the only extant contemporary representation of the interior of an Elizabethan public playhouse, and as such is invaluable to the study of Elizabethan theatre. Some details of the drawing have been a matter of much controversy with scholars (cf. appended resources), but the drawing and accompanying description do give a general idea of the interior of an Elizabethan theatre.

Sketch of the Swan Theatre, c.1596.
By Arnoldus Buchelius (1565-1641) after the
sketch sent to him by his friend Joh. de Witt.
University of Utrecht Ms. 842, f.132r.Courtesy of the University of Utrecht Library.